Breakdown of Não acho que o preço seja injusto.
ser
to be
não
not / no
o preço
the price
achar
to reckon / to find
que
that (conjunction)
injusto
unfair
Questions & Answers about Não acho que o preço seja injusto.
Why do we use seja instead of é in this sentence?
Because the sentence starts with Não acho que (I don't think that). While expressing a positive opinion like Acho que... uses the normal indicative mood (é), negating that opinion expresses a level of doubt or denial. This triggers the present subjunctive mood, making the verb ser become seja.
If I wanted to say 'I think the price is not unfair', would I still use seja?
No! If you move the não to the second half of the sentence, it becomes Acho que o preço não é injusto. Because you are now starting with Acho que (a positive statement of opinion), you go back to using the normal indicative mood (é). The subjunctive is only needed when the verb achar itself is negated.
In English, we often drop the word 'that' and just say 'I don't think the price is unfair'. Can I drop que in Portuguese?
No, in Portuguese, the conjunction que is mandatory when connecting these two clauses. You cannot skip it, so saying Não acho o preço seja injusto would be grammatically incorrect.
Why is the verb ser (seja) used here instead of estar (esteja)?
We use ser for inherent characteristics or definitions. Whether a price is fair or unfair is considered a defining quality of that specific price, rather than a temporary physical state. Therefore, we use ser (which becomes seja in the subjunctive) rather than estar.
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